chargé d'affaires

American  

[shahr-zhey duh-fair, shahr-zhey, shar-zhey da-fer] / ʃɑrˈʒeɪ dəˈfɛər, ˈʃɑr ʒeɪ, ʃar ʒeɪ daˈfɛr /

noun

Government.

chargés d'affaires plural

1. Also called chargé d'affaires ad interim.  an official placed in charge of diplomatic business during the temporary absence of the ambassador or minister.

2. an envoy to a state to which a diplomat of higher grade is not sent.

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chargé d'affaires British  

/ ˈʃɑːʒeɪ dæˈfɛə, ʃarʒe dafɛr /

noun

1. the temporary head of a diplomatic mission in the absence of the ambassador or minister

2. the head of a diplomatic mission of the lowest level

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• chargés d'affaires
  plural

Etymology

Origin of chargé d'affaires

1760–70; < French: literally, one in charge of things

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

chargé d'affaires

As Petro was traveling to Washington, Delcy Rodríguez, Venezuela’s interim president, met with U.S. chargé d’affaires Laura Dogu to talk about the future.

From Salon ● Feb. 5, 2026

She takes over from John McNamara, who had served as chargé d’affaires since February 2025 and traveled to Venezuela in January to discuss the potential reopening of the embassy.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 4, 2026

A U.S. diplomatic and security delegation led by chargé d’affaires John McNamara traveled to Venezuela on Friday to conduct logistical and technical evaluations for a possible reopening of the U.S.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 9, 2026

Estonia's foreign ministry said it summoned the Russian chargé d'affaires "to lodge a protest" over Friday's incursion, while top EU diplomat Kaja Kallas described the incident as "an extremely dangerous provocation".

From BBC ● Sep. 19, 2025

As far as I can see, these little "affairs" always take place in the absence of the minister,—a well-timed vacation, during which an irresponsible chargé d'affaires acts on his own initiative.

From Peking Dust by La Motte, Ellen Newbold